26th Dec 2006, 16:53

The king of the off road for me is the Range Rover Sport, no competition here! are we forgetting that every single little thing which BMW knows about 4x4s was stolen from Range Rover, at the time BMW owned Range Rover..

I mean its no ques why the X5 shares the same engine as Range Rover, shares the same body parts as the Range Rover, darn it X5 brakes, air and fuel filters are interchangeable between the both!

X5 is a cheap Range Rover! Go ahead and make comparisons between the X5 and Cayenne that's fair enough... but Range is in a class of its own, Royalty, Heads of States, and true Gentlemen are chauffeured in a Range!

26th Dec 2006, 17:01

Actually, I have yet to get my 4.8is stuck, but thisn is only in mild driving with mud. it also performs admirably in the snow and ice, I have complete controll and I have yet to even lock up the wheels or slide.

27th Dec 2006, 06:02

Nice balanced review in my opinion, no mention of being the best or any other BM stereotypes. Nice hints about the economy being no different and the stereo upgrade being worth paying for.

However...

...I'm still not letting you out of any junctions!!!

17th Jan 2007, 23:56

Hello all, I am the original reviewer. Thank you for your comments. At the time of writing the review, I did consider a Range Rover Sport, but I found the interior rather cramped and the dashboard seemed to have far too many buttons. The good (or bad) thing about BMW's is the interior switches tend to be in the same places on all models. Personally I like the familiarity. A friend did buy the Range Sport which has been into the dealership more times in the last 6 months than I took both my X5's since 2003.

My lovely car has been sold as I am now living in Canada. I have looked at the Infiniti FX45 which is very popular here and the new X5. Current waiting list means I'll probably buy a 5 series or a used Infiniti for the next 12 months.

The Escalade was awful! There is a huge difference in build quality. I have often heard reviewers talk about US vs European quality, but nothing prepared me for the shock.

6th May 2008, 17:25

I work for a 4x4 specialist and your Range Rovers will spend much more time getting repaired that the X5. Similar age rangies are plagued with problems, many of them serious.

As for the off road issue. If fitted with decent off road tires most 4x4's will cope with the majority of places similar vehicles have managed.

24th May 2008, 18:52

I agree with the comment about the Range Rover Sport in respect of the dashboard - it looks like you're driving a power station. It all looks a bit British Leyland inside including the door trims, gearbox surround etc. Whilst I read that the X5 isn't as good off-road, it puts the Range Rover to shame with it's interior; plus, the 2.7TDI V6 engine is an old nail compared to the BMW 3.0d on power, emissions and economy. Don't get me wrong; I love the looks of the Range Rover Sport, but I'd feel uneasy handing over my money.

Also what is this IBF (Integrated Body Frame) thing? Surely you either make a very strong monocouque or a very strong ladder frame chassis, not add both. It just sounds like me that it's a short-term, low cost, lash-up much like the Triumph 1300 FWD which became a the RWD dolomite sprint.

27th Feb 2012, 19:34

I have lived in remote areas in Australia all my life. Started with Toyota, switched to Range Rover because of better suspension (4 Rangies all up), and now an X5 diesel. Have done a couple of million Ks, mainly on pretty poor roads.

The X5 is much more comfortable, economical and has heaps of power for a 3 litre engine. On a recent trip from Canberra to Balmoral in Victoria in one run of 974 Km, at 110 Km/Hr, I averaged 6.9 litres/100Km. Amazing. Not as compliant in the suspension as Rangie, and probably not as strong in the chassis, but excellent all-rounder. Will see how it lasts..